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Daniel Dutton (1848-1931)
Caversham Presbyterian Minister and
Boer War Chaplain
Daniel
Dutton was an Englishman who became a minister
for the Primitive Methodist church in 1872.
Five years later he was sent to New Zealand
to pioneer that church's work in New Zealand.
After almost ten years in Auckland, Wellington
and Invercargill, Dutton applied to join
the Presbyterian Church. In 1888 he became
the minister at Caversham, where he was
to remain for over 30 years. As a young
man, Dutton had trained as a mining engineer
and he maintained an interest in scientific
studies for the rest of his life. He was
a popular lecturer on astronomy and other
scientific matters throughout Otago. Dutton
was widely admired and loved. He was noted
for his geniality and tolerance. This made
him an ideal secretary to the committee
which negotiated the Otago church's union
with the Presbyterian church in the rest
of New Zealand in 1901. During the Boer
War he joined the New Zealand troops in
South Africa as chaplain. He was already
over 50 but proved a great success and was
invited by the British Army to conduct the
peace service at the war's end. When world
war broke out in 1914 sixty-six year old
Dutton volunteered for service once again.
Despite his advanced age the government
reluctantly accepted him as a chaplain,
bowing to public pressure in his support
but refusing to let him near the front.
(Photograph, Otago Settlers Museum Collection)
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